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Future History
Geopolitics * In the aftermath of natural disaster Japan becomes a corporate state, with the Diet propped up by its Zaibatsu families (technocrats). * Nations cluster together into regional, geopolitical blocs; CIS (old Soviet Union, dominated by Russia), African Union, UNASUR (South America), SCAR ("Southern Club", southern hemisphere nations), ANZAK (Oceania), the Commonwealth, etc. National sovereignty is ceded to the blocs. * Transnationals function much like the old trading companies, try to dominate colonies like Luna and Mars * Manmade plague vectors, recursive viruses, and epigenetic blights become the new WMDs, although nukes are never actually retired * Thanks to climate change the polar regions become the most habitable places on Earth; the equator dominates upsets the balance when the first space elevators are built. * Britain becomes a surveillance/police state, freezes immigration, fascist; heads the Commonwealth * China and India make up a quarter of the world's population * E-Democratic revolutions in China; Hong Kong and Taiwan rejoin the mainland willingly, but remain autonomous * Korea reunited; eventually becomes the dominant power in Southern Asia * Venice is once again a city-state * Greece turns fascist under Golden Dawn; ruined by an earthquake; bailed out by Turkey * Belgium, Congo, Japan, etc. are all corporate states * United States "defederalizes"; autonomous "Freestates" like Cascadia, the Restored Kingdom of Hawaii, The Lone Star Republics, The New California Republic, Deseret, etc. * China economically colonized Africa and Mongolia * African Union emerges as the most prosperous and strategically important region on Earth, thanks to its space elevators * South Pacific Trade War between China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Phillipines, and ANZAK 'Medicine' '2010s' * 2015: Loneliness is projected to become a modern epidemic, with strong correlations to depression, paranoia, stress, and anxiety (and by extension substance abuse and suicide). It is widely blamed on social media and telepresence in modern lifestyles replacing face-to-face interaction. * 2016:' In the European Union and some Asian countries terminally ill patients can now be admitted into "suicide clinics",' without voiding their life insurance policies; most Asian clinics are free of charge * 2016: The human genome '''(and those of other species; fruit flies, mice, apes, etc.) is fully mapped. The UN and WHO approve gene editing in utero,' despite strong disapproval from fundamentalist groups. A fetuses' genome can be accurately sequenced by taking samples from both parents. * 2016:' It is now common for in-vitro fertilization to use 3 sets of DNA to prevent hereditary disease''' *2017: Free health checkups can be done at home using medical apps which measure heart and respiration rates, temperature, test blood and saliva, and even evaluate coughs and body mass index. * 2017: The first bionic limbs are commercially viable; prosthesis is much more stylish and comfortable (some runway models are amputees), incorporating bionics and force-feedback sensors spliced to nerve-endings that restore some sensation of touch. * 2018: Bioreactors and 3d printers promise to revolutionize medicine; printed tissues cloned from cell cultures can be used for skin grafts, cloned organs are transplanted with zero chance of rejection, artificial (saline-based) blood substitutes are deemed combat ready. Stem-cells can be stimulated into mimicking any kind of tissue, including brain matter. * 2019: Exoskeletons allow plegics to walk, run, and even dance! '''They also help retrain paralyzed and atrophied muscles - combined with aggressive physical therapy and stemcell treatments it is possible for a quadriplegic to regain full motor function. 2020s *2020: '''Artificial reproduction is now feasible; fertilized eggs can be grown to term outside the womb in bioreactors. Female self-fertilization is also possible and provided by gene clinics (genetic material is extracted from bone marrow) * 2020: Research chemicals begin to overtake traditional drug markets; synthetic drug analogues made by chemists occupy a legally grey area, intended for medical research. ** Neuroin: concocted after persistent crop failures in Afghanistan spiked heroin demand in Eastern Europe, Neuroin is administered via inhaler and causes brain mutations in fetuses (Minority Report). ** Omegendorph: a "wonder drug" developed by NASA for astronauts in LEO, "Omeg" supplies the brain with synthetic endorphins and dopamine. Although championed by psychopharmacologists as a cure-all for depression and anxiety it quickly finds more...recreational outlets. It does not seriously impair motor function, health, or judgment. * 2020: The first generation of "designer babies" are being born, '''tweaked for cosmetic changes to height, eye color, etc. Unfortunately the moral debate is blown out of proportion despite gene treatments promising to wipe out hereditary disease. * 2025: '''Executive health care packages now provide basic genome modification (progressive companies like Google and SpaceX are the first to offer this to their employees). * 2025: Real-time gene sequencing allows researchers to anticipate viral mutations, preventing epidemics before they spread. * 2025: Human immune systems can be trained to produce antibodies for drugs and alcohol, neutralizing the molecules before they get past the blood-brain barrier. This proves to be a very effective treatment for substance addictions. * 2025: Nanoparticles revolutionize chemotherapy by precisely irradiating cancerous cells; they can also deliver drug treatments that rebuild bone marrow and prevent long term cell damage * 2025: Personalized medicine is becoming a new norm; drug treatments can be specially formulated for a single person's needs using computer modelling, minimizing side effects. Healthcare plans are tailored for individuals. This revolution is spurred by the emergence of the "quantified self", an abundance of quantitative health data gathered by medical apps and wearable tech. * 2025': Electroshock therapy is experiencing a revival;' precise electroconvulsion can train the way the brain works, erasing painful memories or treating PTSD, depression, and addictions * 2025: Strict medical research for schedule 1 narcotics is permitted in the USA as drugs become increasingly decriminalized and rescheduled * 2029: Handheld MRI's provide real-time imaging * 2029: Bones and ligaments can be knitted back together with Kevlar and nylon and coated in ceramics, making them virtually unbreakable * 2029: A new "sobriety patch" can counteract hangovers; detox pills can purge the body of a lifetime's worth of toxins in a matter of hours, but are very unpleasant and require close medical supervision (imagine rapid, sustained heroin withdrawal) * 2029: Flash cloned organs of dubious quality flood the black markets in Asia and South America as demand make hospital waiting lists unbearable. '''People are kidnapped or paid to be living bioreactors. 2030s * 2030: '''Robotic surgeries are common in the developed world; human surgeons are on hand to supervise all but the most routine operations (i.e. removing appendixes/wisdom teeth, abortions, etc.). They don't even necessarily have to be in the same operating room (often performing surgeries remotely via telepresence). * 2030: Researchers map all of the quadrillion neural connections in the human brain, unlocking the secrets to mental illness and learning. A living brain is reconstructed using non-invasive scans; this data is used to create much more sophisticated neural nets. * 2030: Military grade augmentation is now superior in most respects (grip strength, durability, etc.) to real limbs. Many veterans can now reenlist after being medically discharged (unfortunately bionics are often used as an incentive) * 2030: Electronic nerve stimulation can effectively treat paralysis * 2035: Sterile fields can be generated that instantly kill harmful bacteria, preventing infections during surgery by using a type of radiation that is mostly harmless to large mammals. The technology was originally used by NASA to sterilize space probes and landers, preventing them from contaminating pristine environments like Mars or Europa, and was also weaponized by the military. * 2039: Synthetic skin can be applied as a gel or injected into body cavities as foam spray, quickly forming working blood vessels and even nerve endings! 'It has anesthetic/analgesic properties, numbing and disinfecting wounds. Patients describe it as at first feeling like a nest of fire ants underneath your skin. It was developed for trauma and burn victims, but within a decade the tech has practically replaced bandages. * 2039: '''Rejuvenation treatments that retard natural aging finally leave clinical trials. '''The procedure boosts the body's production of telomeres (enzymes that repair long DNA chains). Older patients must wait out a seven year cycle of cellular turnover for best results. The most conservative prognoses give the youngest patients an extended lifespan of about 120 years, without weakening or losing fertility. However, its impossible at this point to be sure what the limit will be, with estimates ranging from just decades to a thousand years. * 2039: '"Boddy modding" is a small but growing subculture, started by amputees, performance artists, and war veterans. In many ways it is more comparable to plastic surgery addiction than other forms of body modification (tattooing, piercing, etc.). Most mods tend to be cosmetic upgrades like retinal patterning, muscle implants, or fingertip sensors. However, hardcore "Modds" almost fetishize bionics, going so far as to replace working limbs and organs with cybernetics. 2040s *2040: Cyborgs can wear cloned tissue or synthskin over their bionic's frames. '''Combined with force-feedback this restores full sensation of touch. Bionics are finally just as good - if not better than - real limbs. * 2040: '''Dead pets can be cloned back to life * 2040: Seniors (60+) outnumber the planet's youth (15-) for the first time in history. Robots are commonly used in hospitals and nursing homes to help care for the elderly (i.e. lifting, cleaning, cooking, dispensing drugs, etc.) * 2045: "Splicing" (clipping plant, animal, and bacterial genes into human DNA) is approved for medical trials * 2045: Terminally ill/critically injured patients can be interred in cryogenic stasis, prolonging their lives indefinitely by slowing bodily processes down at the cellular level. Body fluids are drained and replaced with saline substitutes before the patient is frozen solid. When treatment or surgery becomes available they are gradually thawed out with microwaves and given full blood transfusions. * 2045: The advent of cryostasis and artificial wombs makes euthanasia and abortion strongly discouraged in all but the most dire circumstances; every human being has a realistic "right to life" 2050s *2050: A synthetic body is grown for a patient suffering untreatable lymphatic cancer; the brainstem and a portion of their spinal cord are transplanted into the new, cloned body. It is the first successful operation of its kind. * 2055: Parents can have their stillborn children cloned; human cloning is becoming increasingly legal for medical research (the clones are kept in a vegetative state), with realistic advantages over computer modelling (i.e. you can observe a treatment's effect on a living, tangible patient rather than a simulation) * 2059: Tobacco is considered a harmless hobby by the US Surgeon General because lung cancer can be extracted in a single operation. Unfortunately for the tobacco industry this recommendation comes 40 years too late; tobacco was largely replaced by menthol e-cigs and skin patches. 2100s+ *Most hospital staff and paramedics are androids, but many humans still take careers in medicine as a vocation * A "natural" lifespan (without genetic modification, cell correction, cryo-stasis, or cybernetics) is around 150 years, thanks to huge improvements in wellness, antibiotics, and lifestyles. An enhanced person could theoretically survive indefinitely, especially if their mind is uploaded into the cloud or a cloned body. Death becomes a choice for people, although suicide is rarely encouraged it is often done for spiritual reasons. Individuals think of themselves as living multiple lives over centuries or millennia. Reincarnation is possible; a person simply has most of their memories erased and their mind transferred into a cloned fetus. With wetware tech it is possible to be reincarnated as animals. * Even death can be reversed, with varying degrees of success Economics Most business transactions and customer service is handled by a virtual person. Cryptocurrencies??? Prediction markets??? Military 2010s * The US Navy uses the first railgun weapon 'to scuttle a decommissioned aircraft carrier * '''Soldiers wear powered exoskeletons to enhance their performance '(strength, endurance), both on and off the field * '''Passive RADAR and LIDAR makes stealth aircraft practically obsolete; NATO, Russia, and China scramble to get pulse-detonation engines (needed for supersonic aircraft) into production 2020s * Modern militaries start implanting troops with ID/IFF/GPS chips/transponders, which are embedded in the torso. Missing soldiers can be found quickly, health stats (heart rate, bloodwork, respiration, temperature, etc.) can be streamed to medics, and friendly fire is becoming a thing of the past. * "Smart guns" 'with IFF (identification; friend or foe) sensors are used by most modern militaries, drastically reducing friendly fire. Unfortunately the tech can be exploited if the enemy uses human shields. Weapons are also coded to their owners in such a way that they cannot be captured and used against them. Guns are incredibly recoilless moddable, with firing settings ranging from 300 rounds a second to snapshots. ** The Hera-Triari Arms '"snapshot rifle" has a detachable pistol built into it, and becomes a favorite template with mercenary companies ** Adhesive and magnetized equipment (magazines, knives, grenades, etc.) are stuck onto body armor * Rail rifle: a scaled down railgun that is man-portable, rail rifles use the same principles of electro-magnetism, firing kinetic darts capable of punching through tank armor. Accurate, powerful, and discrete, they take as long as a musket to reload because the barrel has to be replaced after every shot (its warped by intense heat/stress) and needs painstaking calibration. Snipers wear reinforced gyroscopes built into their exoskeletons and carry multiple barrels on hand. Railshooters are generally thought of as "anti-materiel" snipers. * Veterans who might have been crippled for life (losing limbs or senses) can be returned to duty in days or weeks, thanks to sophisticated bionics and stemcell treatments. * DEW beams (directed energy weapons (lasers), experimental, exotic, rarely used outside of space/minimal atmospheres where light refraction is minimized. Fantastic at frying satellites and cell towers. * Bodysuits that mimic human musculature and nullify thermal signatures from body heat '''are worn Special Forces * '''Combat infantry and riot police wear considerably heavier and more protective body armor, including; shatterproof goggles/faceshields with digital HUD overlays, "dragonskin" suits (ceramic hexagons woven together with titanium thread), fireproof clothing, powered exoskeletons, Kevlar gloves, fireproof/self-suturing fatigues, etc. ** Heavier, fully-powered "EOD"-type suits have rounded angles, a built-in neckbrace/one piece helmet (reduces the chance of decapitation), ablative heat shields designed to "cook off", and airbags. It's not long before these troops, called "Grenadiers", go from mere bomb disposal to being frontline shock troops - kicking down doors, storming bunkers, etc. * Long guns like sniper rifles automatically calibrate themselves, using data from range finders, GPS, and wind gauges.' Powerful gyroscopes built into exoskeletons dampen recoil considerably.' * Cambots: Hovering camera disks, able to maneuver through tight spaces (windows, alleyways, doorframes) or perch on walls and ceilings. Can record in multiple wavelengths/frequencies. Used by reporters and paparazzi as well as soldiers. * "Auto-Turrets" - remote controlled or autonomous weapons - are first used to defend bases but are tweaked for regular infantry use. * Missile shields like Gaza's Iron Dome ''' are fine-tuned, boasting a success rate of around 99%. An effective deterrent to a limited nuclear war, unfortunately, even 1% of the nuclear weapons in circulation are enough to level the world several time over * With the immense controversy over the sheer collateral damage caused by drone bombings '''new drones are used for precise assassinations using high powered rifles. '''There is a paradigm shift way from grossly destructive (and unpopular) wars * The Pentagon uses '''quantum computer algorithms to sort through the data of every telecom company's records '''in; every phone conversation, email, surveillance camera. and online forum in the country can now be monitored by a single program, called '''PRISM. '''It makes "Five Eyes" the most powerful spy agency in history. 2030s * Tight-knit regional blocs like the '''European Union and the CIS tend to pool their troops into a common armed force as show of geopolitical trust and solidarity in the face of regional austerity and conflict. * Dirigible refueling stations '''for aircraft can keep drones in the air until mechanical failure; '''the newest drones have a flying life of nearly 20 years, '''and have backup solar panels. * '''Coverage of wars often resembles a cross between a reality show and a "LifeLog" (a first person video diary), as soldiers record their experiences with their own eyes. The soldier becomes a journalist. 'Because "radio silence" is becoming less and less feasible human troops are given less sensitive duties (behind the lines, peacekeeping, reconstruction). * W'ith American unemployment at a staggering 20% the military and private mercenary companies become the largest employers in the country; a powerful "soldier's union" emerges, and ushers in a number of reforms in regards to sexual assault, fair pay and benefits, and has considerable influence on foreign policy. ** Congress plans to neuter the military by replacing troops with AI drones and mercenaries, before the US becomes a Heinlein-esque state. * Autonomous quadrotor gunships,' called Hunter-Killers, are used to kill tanks and submarines', use ducted fans instead of rotorblades, and can gather and interpret the intelligence they gather. Each one has its own blackboxed AI (networking is still far too vulnerable to hacking). * Mules: Robotic trucks used to ferry troops and supplies, sometimes even used as moveable cover (to the displeasure of quartermasters everywhere). Mules can form looping supply chains and are reliable workhorses * Many vehicles run on Hydrazine (jet fuel) * Tribore: mounted on aircraft and tanks, burns through ammo but the sheer weight of fire can level a jungle 2040s * Spider tanks are small, robotic tanks '(about the same size as compact car), that move on six wheeled legs, and are far more agile than any other ground vehicle. They can easily keep up with ground troops or police and can even carry out their own missions alone, '''equipped with neural nets on par with a well trained dolphin '(but with the programming of a Hunter-Killer drone). Fascinatingly they're also "social" robots, working best in small groups where they can share data/consensus. ** The most versatile design so far is a repair drone equipped with blow torches, lasers, saws, etc. and used to repair vehicles and ship hulls, scuttling around like crabs. * '''Soldiers can see through walls and even solid rock in a variety of spectrums; "aimbots" are used to assist shooting with fine-tuned motion sensors; NBC hardsuits can survive lethal amounts of gamma radiation, are pressurized, and hermetically sealed against agents like sarin or nerve gas; ablative heat shield armor can "cook off" with ceramic plating underneath * CLAYMORES, superheavy howitzer tanks favored by the Army, are used as mobile defensive emplacements (they destroy roads not built to handle their weight). Their guns can fire over the horizon and into space, so they're kept behind lines of trenches, bunkers, embankments, and razorwire. * KOMODOS,' ultralight, wheeled tanks with souped up engines' favored by Marines, are light enough to be carried by dropships '''and sturdy enough to be dropped from several stories. Their speed and versatility comes at the expense of thinner armor and lighter guns; there is a 3D printer inside that can churn out replacement parts, meaning '''blitzkriegs can range far ahead of supply chains * Monocycles (giant wheels) are used for reconnaissance and couriering; they are surprisingly safe, and high performance monos ''quickly hit the streets back home * '''A military engineered "blight" wipes out 2/3 of the planet's crops' 2050s * Wars are starting to be fought without direct human participation, or even loss of life; electronic warfare dominates the battlefields of the future, and is often so abstract that it can hardly be comprehended by anything but an AI * Flesh-and-blood humans are the "face" of war, even though machines do all the heavy lifting and most of the fighting too. 'Their presence is crucial for peacekeeping around humans, because androids, drones, and surrogates aren't taken seriously. * '''Gamma-radiation can be used to "rinse" entire city blocks, killing all organic life but leaving infrastructure intact '(even sensitive electronics). Interestingly, the same technology can be used to create sterile fields (using a type of radiation that isn't harmful to large mammals like humans), and '''it ends up saving more lives than those it takes. * Helicarriers (flying aircraft carriers) are built; they are powered by fusion plants, and can house over 1500 crewmen and an equal number of Marines. They are also surprisingly nimble, essentially being much larger quadrotors. * Infantry Mechs are hulking exoskeletons worn by human pilots, seamlessly mimicking all of the functions of a normal soldier. 'They are generally used for more mundane tasks like construction or offloading cargo, and are a common sight in dockyards and factories. Pilots have an elite mentality, similar to tank or fighter crews, and their mechs have weapons, built into limbs and "jetpacks" that can boost them up short distances. A single ONI mech can flip over a battle tank, punch through a bunker, and survive being buried under a skyscraper's worth of rubble. '''Mechs are often used in urban fighting, where they are agile enough to keep up with troops going door-to-door. ' * '''Fighting in space is viewed a kind of mutually assured destruction, thanks to Kessler syndrome '''threatening to send mankind back to the 1950's technologically (it would mean the loss of all satellites in orbit). * '''National militaries are steadily being replaced by - or behaving as - private mercenaries; the French Foreign Legion is a notable example, replacing troops in many Francophone countries (Algiers, Quebec, Belgium, Congo, Haiti, and Mali), and plays a crucial role in the Partition of Congo. ''' * '''The first Land Carriers (also called Anvils, modeled after the "crawler" vehicles used to transport space shuttles) are deployed; weighing as much as an aircraft carrier, they are mobile bases on treads, carrying offices, barracks, armories, hospitals, factories, etc. and have to be disassembled, flown, and reassembled on location (their top speed is a few tedious MPH). Typically used as a headquarters for military brass, they can have a garrison of around 5000 people and are powered by nuclear or fusion reactors. They have one big advantage over helicarriers; they don't crash, and can survive a nuke. 2050s+ * "Plague vectors" wipe out nearly a billion people, and at first mutate too quickly in the open for a useful vaccine, more deaths than the Bubonic Plague, Measles, Small Pox, and Influenza combined. * Humans rarely fight in wars personally; war has become just another abstraction for people, like the stock market. When they do it usually for social reasons; humanizing conflict, mobilizing the population, etc.or it's a matter of self-defense. 2100s+ * The ubiquity of personal energy shields sees the return of large scale melee combat; soldiers commonly use knives, bayonets, rifle butts, and fight hand-to-hand. Ships also have to fight at much closer quarters so that their opponent's shields do not have time to react (hence why you see broadsides and boarding actions in deep space); some ships are even equipped with solid, metal prows for ramming. * In the Jovian Moons there are neither militaries nor weapons of any kind; on Mars, Mercury, and Venus there are only militias used for self-defense and policing; on Luna there are still Peacekeepers, and the Moon is a useful base for Earth's Security Council. Post-Collapse no weapons of any kind are permitted on the Homeworlds, nor are arsenals kept by the state - if a conflict should break out guns ad drones can easily be manufactured and distributed * There are mass driver installations in orbit over all the Homeworlds; ostensibly to deflect incoming asteroids, but they're also a useful deterrent against hostile ships. * The new Geneva Conventions have made starting "formal wars" in a planet's biosphere (even a "dead" world like Mars or Europa) a war crime, because of the huge potential for destruction * Earth's nations and corporations find it difficult to maintain centralized control over their space colonies; peacekeepers deployed to Mars fight a hopelessly asymmetrical war against Red guerrillas and Ecoteurs. Their best solution is destroying fragile, pressurized settlements from orbit, but they cannot hold the ground itself, especially without the support of the people. Mars is also a logistical nightmare, and the fighting season is always when the Sun stands between it and Earth. 'Transportation & Travel' Few people know how to drive manually anymore or even own personal vehicles. Manual driving is considered reckless given the fast travel speeds and incredible reaction times needed to navigate driverless traffic. Most people instead take robotic cabs, shuttles, carts, and trams. In major cities traffic moves underground while surface streets are given over to pedestrian walkways, parks, and gardens. Gridlock has vanished and combustion engines are only found in rural areas or offworld where biofuels and hydrazine are more favorable. People tend to work from home via telepresence, rarely traveling farther than their own neighberhoods despite living in an age of affordable space travel and borderless globalization. '' 2010s *'The first driverless cars are now street legal, navigating the busiest freeways with ease.' It's worth noting that 93% percent of America's 5.5 million annual auto accidents are caused by human, rather than technical, failures. *'Major auto makers set timelines for completely switching to emmission free, autonomous vehicles'; growing oil scarcity plus government subsidies for footprintless cars are making the combustion engine obsolete * '''Fast-charging stations for electric cars '''outnumber gas stations in the world's densest cities (Tokyo, London, Shanghai, Mumbai, Dhaka, etc.) 2020s-30s *'Practically all trucks, construction vehicles, aircraft, ships, and trains are fully automated', possessing little human oversight. Passenger jets can take off, fly, and land on full auto-pilot. *'Vacuum trains, based on the first Texas "hyperloops", crisscross the US, Asia, and Europe'; workers can commute between cities and states in hours *'Simple bicycles with windup generators and motors become more popular than motorbikes or cars in many countries, including Kenya, Pakistan, and the Netherlands. ' *'Private firms carry most cargo into space with reusable rockets', freeing up billions of dollars while also shifting accountability away from space agencies *'Quadrotors replace helicopters because they are more agile and safe'. In superdense, vertical cities like Dubai and Manhattan they often taxi execs between towers (some VIPs literally never touch the ground). * '''Pulse-detonation engines are invented, '''making supersonic aircraft capable of 2 hour flights from New York to London. 2040s *'Fusion powered aircraft can stay aloft indefinitely;' the first helicarriers are built for the US and Royal Air Force, eventually replacing their seagoing cousins by the late 80s. A flying hotel - Peregrine Suites - now cruises at 3000 feet in international airspace. *'Combustion engines are strictly controlled in major cities, limited to farmers, car enthusiasts, etc. Some places ban them completely. ' *'Driverless traffic is now the norm, even in the developing world'; congestion and accidents are no longer a serious concern in well-planned cities and even manual cars take over when they detect erratic driving. Cars also travel at much higher speeds (over 100 MPH on American freeways). **Kids often disrupt traffic by simply walking through it, knowing full well cars will seamlessly avoid them (while upsetting their passengers) 2050s *'Space tourism is now "reasonably" affordable''' (costing only hundreds of thousands of dollars instead of millions); **Extreme orbital sports like gravity jumping (skydiving from orbit) and solar sailing (skimming the atmosphere on a solar parasail or wingsuit) are hugely popular 2050s+ *Intercontinental, undersea vaccuum tunnels bridge the Gibraltar Strait, the Behring Strait, the Irish Sea, Japan-Korea, the Taiwan Strait, Australia-New Zealand, and the Transatlantic. These tunnels also carry fiber optic cables and oil/gas pipelines. * Plans for an Art Deco-inspired Lunar Hilton resort (with golf courses) are being taken seriously * Commercial flights to Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO), the Lagrange Waystations, the Moon, and Mars are provided by most space agencies and firms(Virgin Galactic, for instance). Only the wealthiest travelers can afford to book passage on a luxury starliner (their interiors are modelled on famous hotels and passenger ships like the Titanic) while most tourists take cramped coach shuttles (which are more comparable to the Mayflower or a coach flight). Farming & Cuisine The spread of globalized markets and distribution networks changed mankind's traditional diets with demand for new types of food production. While the world's population climbed by the billions homogenized GM crops were sown with gusto, and greatly exceeded humanity's needs. Unfortunately most of these engineered crops (wheat, okra, corn, barley) shared similar epigenetics, which made them vulnerable to blights that caused persistent crop failures. Vast fields were burned and replaced with soy, which renewed the soil. Years of prolonged famine drove mankind to find radical solutions; vertical farming took off in sprawling metropolises and localized food distribution; the seafloor and lakes were seeded with nutritious algae; and vitro cloning helped sate mankind's hunger for meat and fish while freeing up huge tracts of land that had previously been squandered on cattle. As food prices spiked billions of people - in disaster areas and warzones as well as offices, schools, and gyms - adopted soylent diets, enjoying better nutrition. Cultural exchange meant fusion and exotic fare became the norm for dining. 2010-20s *'Saltwater farming is pioneered '''in the Netherlands and Pakistan; carrots, potatoes, and onions fed by diluted saltwater concentrate the salt in their leaves while boosting their roots sugar content *'All soylent diets are embraced''' by fitness enthusiasts, "lifehackers", and businessmen. Open source formulas are adopted by schools, shelters, militaries, and relief organizations. * Farmers can grow caffeine free coffee beans - decaf no longer lacks the rich flavor of real coffee. 2030s *'Vertical farming emerges in the densest cities;' 7/10 of Earth's 9 billion people live in cities, so food production will depend on skyscraper "arcologies" which distribute locally, while many citizens cultivate rooftop and balcony gardens *'Animal flesh products are grown from cell cultures in a lab; vitro meat is nearly indistinguishable' from the real thing and has a number of advantages - there is no animal suffering, no arable land is wasted, and it is much healthier. It is produced using a single celled organism that converts sunlight, Co2, and water into simple proteins, which are then tweaked at the molecular level. Food critics claim it lacks the same texture as real meat. Rising water scarcity and awareness of animal cruelty threatens to put all but the most niche ranchers out of business. *'Algaeculture is a booming industry; large swathes of Earth's seafloor and lakes are being farmed by giant algaescrubbers;' algae and seaweed (dulse, purple laver, Irish moss, spirulina, badderlocks, etc.) are processed into food, medicine, dyes, and biodegradable oil used in plastics and fertilizers. It also has the net benefit of oxygenating the oceans and feeding marine life. 2040s *The Blights of '41 see persistent GM crop failures caused by shared epigenetic vulnerabilities. These famines are felt as far away as the fledgling Lunar outposts, which depend on Terran soil, phosphorous, seeds, and frozen embryos to feed several hundred people. *'Dense ration cubes contain an entire meal's worth of basic calories and nutrients '''but are quite bitter Internet, Communications, & Electronics 2010s * '''Even developing countries are forced to overhaul their bandwidth capabilities to stay competitive in the global market.' * ' Attempts by governments to control the flow of information on the web prove futile as open source encryption becomes commonplace.' * Traditional business models (like the music and movie industry) have to reinvent themselves to stay abreast of digital piracy. Sharing, streaming, and cloud-sourcing become the new modes of distribution. ** Even "analog" manufacturers of things like cars or guns have to anticipate the growth of 3d printing * China's "Great Firewall" can no longer prevent citizens from accessing global news and uncensored information; '''activists use encrypted social media to quickly organize mass protests against the government * '''Rudimentary apps for phones provide real-time translation in the most common languages * First terrabyte data networks; the planet now produces zettabytes of data each year 2020's * 3d printing revolutionizes manufacturing; '''users can print products at home with stereolithographers, downloading copyrights from designers or open source forums. Anything from cars, toys, and tools to guns and candy can be printed in this fashion. Digital patent and copyright laws have to become increasingly relaxed to accommodate this growing revolution. People are empowered to become more self-sufficient. * '''Electronic heating elements become ubiquitous; whether they're in the cardboard sleeve of a coffee cup or embedded in frozen windshields or woven into jackets and blankets * 5 billion people join the worldwide web; '''almost the entire human population is online to some degree or another, thanks to a glut of cheap smart-objects and blanket wifi. For many children, the Digital Natives, this technology is like an extension of their natural senses. * '''The "internet of things" grows exponentially as products (cars, phones, clothes, etc.) become more connected, sharing information. * People communicate with their computers via gestures and two-way speech * Electronics are thinner, smarter, and more flexible (the average phone is as thin and foldable as a business card; TVs literally hang on the wall like pictures). * Web 3.0, or the semantic web, is comparable to having a personal assistant who knows everything about you and can answer any question, plus anticipate logical follow up questions. '''It will become difficult for someone to watch or consume anything that has not been specially tailored for them in some fashion. * '''More people (half of all professionals by 2035) choose to work from home via telepresence; 3d hologram chats are very popular * Cables and wires are disappearing;'most devices (even cars) charge wirelessly or in docks 2030's * '''4d printing allows materials to reshape or assemble themselves over time '(for instance, imagine an origami crane that folds itself). This will make construction is outer space or the crushing depths of Earth's oceans much easier. * '''Coldcomputing: Supercomputers are the size of sugar cubes; chips are redesigned, stacked and linked via nano-infused liquids (eliminating wires and drawing away heat) * All 130 million books ever written have been digitized * The first quantum supercomputer (the size of a warehouse) possesses gargantuan processing power and can solve problems that would take ordinary computers billions of years to unravel. Some are used by governments to sift through incomprehensible amounts of data mined from citizens, while others plan flight trajectories for deep space missions or tackle the hardest math problems. * The limitless thermal conductivity of graphene at nano-scales makes it the perfect medium for microcomputing * Most text is read on screens and generated using speech dictation software; most verbal communication between people occurs over these devices. ''' 2040s * '''Strong AI's are now available as home operating systems and virtual assistants * A "cerebronet" is a computer that interfaces with a person's brain and nervous system. They range from discrete subdermal models that are surgically implanted to more common headgear that scan brainwaves. In the future they might house AI's inside a person's brain (an intimate relationship that could be the first steps towards a Singularity). A cerebronet also exponentially boosts a brain's processing power, storage, and can network with other wetware (giving the user limited telepathy). It can download and sort, extract and edit dreams, thoughts, and memories. It can even let people communicate with animals on a visceral level. Energy & Resources 2010s * The first demonstration of a "breakeven" fusion reaction is shown; a Russian energy corporation, "Tokamak", builds the first DT fissile-fusion hybrid plants * Selenological expeditions uncover enough Helium3 at the Moon's poles to supply the world's current energy needs for several thousand years. '''He-3 is preferable to Deuterium-Tritium reactions only in space; DT needs heavier shielding to contain neutrons and takes more energy, but is easily sourced in Earth's heavy water whereas He-3 is deposited by the solar wind over billions of years. 2020s * '''The first commercial fusion reactors power ships (aircraft carriers, cargo ships, and ironically oil tankers) and small towns. Distributed grids are built for large cities. * Global demand for crude energy is shrinking as nations invest heavily in green, renewable tech and fusion research. Roofs, windows, screens, roads, etc. all collect and store solar power, and the ambitious solar fields of the last decade seem antiquated by comparison. 2030s * A growing number of decomissioned nuclear plants are being converted into fusion-electric plants, partly as a symbolic gesture. The conversion of Indian Point is a landmark moment. Unfortunately a handful of plants are kept active for the sake of weapons production. 2040s * A massive shared power grid is built by the EU; similar projects are explored by UNASUR and the CIS * Although the developing world may be addicted to crude energy for some time, and resource barons like Russia and the Emirates may forcibly intervene to ensure that demand does not simply dry up '''(aggressive lobbying, sanctions), most projections state they will rapidly become failed states if they do not diversify their economies 2050s+ * '''Peak oil hits. '''Global dependence on crude energy (oil, gas, coal, fissiles) has been steadily replaced by renewables and clean, practically unlimited fusion power. This is disastrous news for the old resource barons; those who fail to adapt become failed states . But for the rest of the world it is quite literally a breath of fresh air. * '''Mobile Lunar mines and refineries are completely automated, overseen by skeleton crews. A fleet of mass drivers and continuous shuttles ferry vast quantities of heavy/precious metals and rare elements back to Earth.' Ground is broken on the first Lunar space elevator, with negotiations for a Terran version in the works.' * The first transnationals are generally young venture-capitalist companies, specializing in fusion, telecommunication, and space transportation. Takamov-Fadian, Axion, IterHelion, Naptha, and TriAlpha, Branson/Musk (Virgin X), Art, Fashion, & Entertainment Although a murky topic of prediction people's desire for deeper, more immersive entertainment is something of a given. Virtual reality will eventually subsume all other mediums, simply because it offers an experience as believable as real life. Art and fashion are much more nebulous topics, subject to volatile shifts in trends that go in and out of style far too quickly to predict anything meaningful. We do know that people will always seek out new ways of expressing themselves and helpful technology will create entirely new mediums and disciplines of art. Looking back even several centuries we can see that fashion does not drastically change even over long periods of time. Materials and styles may change, but function and form seem to stay the same. People will always wear what they want and can afford. For all we know Avant-Garde could become the new ready to wear, or perhaps it will be disposable biocouture. If one thing is certain it is that there will always be more dizzying variety and although fashion may be a pendulum people will be empowered to create their own trends. 2010s * First person POV entertainment becomes more popular * E-books and e-journalism dominate Western literature * All-weather clothing makes use of woven electric heating elements * Virtual reality, though still in its infancy,' is going mainstream' * Holographic concerts and performances can resurrect dead performers, or play in venues all over the world simultaneously * Infrared paintings look like blank canvases to the unaided eye * Fine art can be reproduced perfectly by 3d scanners, right down to individual brush strokes, textures, and layers of paint * Wearable computing (jewelry and accessories like watches) make people walking Wifi nodes * Shoppers are 3d scanned and their clothes are machine tailored for their specific measurements, often lacking seams * Bulletproof (Kevlar) suits are popular among high ranking executives * Hydrophobic fabrics shed water and grease and only need to be washed a few times a year; a titanium dioxide coating that reacts with sunlight helps fabric shed stains and kill odor causing bacteria 2020s * Laboriously crafted CGI is indistinguishable from real life with no uncanny valley effect * New 3d printed instruments are being created that did not exist before (flutes modeled on dinosaur tracheas, a human larnyx played like a stringed instrument) * Experiences brought on by synthetic drugs can be considered a new kind of art, called "superstimulus" * Swarm algorithms can accurately create any kind of digital art, as dictated by the artist * Synthetic leathers and jewels '''(diamonds, pearls, etc.) '''are indistinguishable from the real deal. Diamond heeled shoes and slippers turn heads on runways and red carpets. * Biocouture is emerging; garments can be grown from bacterial cellulose (dresses made of rose petals, etc.) * Full face oxygen masks are commonly worn in Earth's most polluted cities, and are as much a fashion statement as a breathing apparatus. Student revolutions in China see these masks adopted on Western campuses. 2030s * A performance artist clones and eats his own heart * Synth art '''(painting, poetry, compositions, etc.) is produced by computer programs and eventually Strong AI''' * Professional dream recording becomes mainstream entertainment, verges on mind-melding. Other artists capture raw emotions and experiences; drug induced lucid dreaming is explored as entertainment and therapy * Dancers, athletes, and acrobats with artificial limbs perform moves and routines not otherwise possible with human anatomy * Military uniforms can repair themselves, suturing rips and tears closed; bodysuits are worn that mimic human musculature; and active camouflage (chameleoware) can bend light around a person. It is not long before this tech bleeds into the civilian market. * Animated tattoos (electoos) 'use a kind of liquid crystal matrix suspended in graphene ink, and can display GIFs 2040s * '"Overclocking" the brain can let us perceive the world in slow motion (playing with water and sunbeams, comprehending music at 1000 bpm or 2 hertz) * Surrealist automatism is enhanced technologically; '''your neural imperfections are a unique style. the human brain subconsciously creates art via dreams/abstract thoughts/emotions * '''The Modd Subculture grows out of performance art, veterans clubs, and plastic surgery addicts; muscle implants, exchangeable limbs; customizable scent, hair/skin/eye color, purr like a cat, whistle like a songbird, etc. 2050s+ * Fully immersive VR is used for entertainment, training, and therapy; new flavors of logic and experience are explored; the blurring of VR and RL into Augmented Reality; people often retire or vacation to virtual worlds * Magnetized boots/gloves, spray on space-suits, reflective clothing are popular among Spacers * Planetscapes become popular as humans explore the solar system 2100s+ * Solettas burn images into planets; hieroglyphs, crop circles, graffiti, doodles, etc. * Spacers living in high altitudes or semi-terraformed worlds eschew space suits '''for fiberfilled/fur-lined parkas with heating elements and oxygen masks Environment & Geoengineering Drones protect endangered species from poachers, replacing foot patrols Billions of pounds of iron dust are scattered in the ocean to help boost native Krill populations, but have unintended variables Barrier cities have to be built to withstand the world's freak storms (winter hurricanes, for instance). Sea levels rise 7 feet, drowning every single coastline on Earth. People migrate inland towards higher ground in great numbers. Epiengineered GM crops outcompete most other seeds on Earth, but are virtually wiped out by a highly adaptive fungal blight. Mount Rainier blows; boiling lahars (mudslides) wash away Seattle in minutes. Inspires attempts to offset pressure seismically active volcanoes (Mount Fuji, Kilimanjaro, Vesuvius, Yellowstone, etc.), and eventually lubricate fault lines to dampen earthquakes. With the invention of zoological wetware humans can now communicate with a number of species, from dogs to crows, apes, elephants, octopods, and whales. Animal welfare lobbies are now represented by animals themselves. Protected personhood is granted to these species. The American Southwest becomes a dust bowl after decades of persistent drought, wildfires, and intensive agriculture. Forests are planted to stop the encroachment of deserts More than 50% of the world's wildlife is extinct; only 10% of species are not considered endangered; efforts are made to preserve them in digital DNA libraries called "seedbanks". Cloning resurrects extinct species; lost ecosystems are painstakingly restored The Great Barrier Reef, the Amazon, and the Eastern Antarctic ice sheet all but vanish, with horrifying consequences. Antarctica, the Canadian Shield, Siberia, and the Arctic Circle are rendered somewhat habitable by climate change, while southern countries like Chad and most of the Pacific Islands are made uninhabitable. Heavy-handed attempts at "geoengineering" are made, often with unintended consequences. the most famous incident was terraforming Earth back to a pre-industrial age - it worked, too well, causing a global collapse and turning the world back into a pure wilderness (only with freak weather, unpredictable seasons, mutant wildlife, techno-barbarians, and rampant plant growth). Security & Law Enforcement 2020s * '''Passwords are replaced by a complex web of biometrics - facial recognition, voiceprints, retinal scanning, and even heartbeats. These same tools are used for public mass surveillance. * Drones streamline domestic surveillance; a single drone can read every license plate in an area the size of Idaho in less than a minute, and track millions of vehicles at once * All interaction between law enforcement and civilians must be recorded by law * Police sirens use low-frequency sonic booms that are felt rather than heard * Plainclothes secret policemen; co-opted neighborhood watch * Security companies bid on police contracts - at first just for decaying cities like Detroit or Spokane * 2030s * Virtual, cheap lawyers (legal apps) ''' flood the legal system * '''Intelligence agencies use quantum supercomputers to mine incredible amounts of data (personal records, media comments, phone transcripts, spending habits, etc.), called "lifelogs",' about every person on Earth. There is no longer any such thing as digital privacy.' * A variety of non-lethal weaponry is adopted by police worldwide; '''shock batons (cattle prods + nightsticks), dragnets (constricting mesh nets), sonic pacifiers (use high frequency signals to disrupt neurons responsible for basic motor function, immobilizing people) * '''Driverless cars can deliver fugitives to police stations * Body scanning in airports is entirely automated and airlines hire private security from federally approved contractors, protecting flyer's dignity; the TSA is dissolved, sued for gross incompetence 2050s+ * Cybernetically enhanced canines can detect minute fluctuations in air composition. Construction & Materials Science 2010s * Self-healing concrete; calcium ions in the mix reacts with rainwater and carbon dioxide, repairing hairline fractures in days * 3d printed housing; homes are orders of magnitude stronger, cheaper 2020s * Isoprene - a key ingredient in rubber - can be naturally produced by E. Coli microbes digesting plant sugars * Biodegradable oil can be synthesized from a special kind of algae; it is used in plastics and fertilizers * Exoskeletons are worn by laborers * Construction vehicles are driverless 2030s * Modular apartment blocks; change your floorplan on a whim * Omnidirectional elevators * Windows, roofs, and even paint absorb solar energy * 4D printed structures open up outer space and the seafloor to much more effective development Education Classrooms are dominated by computers; intelligent courseware tailors itself to the needs of individual students. In the USA failed public schooling and a college tuition bubble will make online learning the norm for many. Personable AI's will tutor individual students. Teachers fill roles as counselors and mentors, handing off lesson plans to AIs; by neccessity they are physically present. Even online students still socialize and learn together.